


Amidala and the Sith

by princx_andromeda



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Jedi Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala Lives, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Pre-Rogue One, Sith Leia Organa, Skywalker Family Drama, Suitless Darth Vader, aka the most high stakes parent trap of all time, balancing the force through fighting with your family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22903279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princx_andromeda/pseuds/princx_andromeda
Summary: One twin raised in darkness, and the other in light.Neither knowing of the other, except as a faceless enemy.But when the apprentice to the last great Jedi master comes face to face with the apprentice to the Sith Lord Vader for the first time, the two discover a connection that throws the two sides of the force into chaos.
Relationships: Biggs Darklighter/Luke Skywalker, Jyn Erso & Leia Organa, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 28
Kudos: 119





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Starting another multi-chapter Star Wars fic I will never finish? No way. 
> 
> This is unedited chaos but I have a lot of feelings about this specific AU and I'm beginning to come to terms with the fact that no one can read my mind and write the extremely specific fics I want except for me, so. Enjoy, I guess?

"It's over, Jedi," Princess Vader said. The glow of her lightsaber cast her face in red, the shadows making it look eerie and inhuman. Luke glanced over to his own saber, cast to the side. The still-pink fingers of his newly severed right hand were still curled loosely around the hilt. He could probably summon it, but Obi-Wan hadn't exactly trained him to fight left-handed, and he suspected that the Princess knew that. 

"It will never be over," Luke snarled, pulling himself to his feet. "As long as people like you exist in the galaxy, people like me will fight." 

"There is no one like me," the Princess said. She was still holding the lightsaber in a defensive position, but she hadn't advanced since Luke had stumbled. Luke snorted. 

"You're nothing but a poor copy of Vader," he said. 

"At least I'm not the outer rim urchin protege of an old man,” the Princess shot back.

And that was just offensive. Luke drew himself up to his full height, squaring his shoulders the way his mother had taught him. Because Obi-Wan Kenobi had taught him to be a Jedi, but he had been born the son of a former Queen. "My mother," he said coolly, "was Queen of Naboo and a member of the Galactic Senate. I won't have anyone call me an outer rim urchin."

At this, the Princess faltered, her saber dropping a few inches. Something he had said had clearly gotten to her, but he wasn't sure what it could be. Very slowly, she asked, "what is your name?"

"My name," Luke said, trying to ignore the dirt on his face and the way his sleeve hung loose and empty and channeling everything of his mother he had in him, "is Luke Amidala."

The lightsaber went dark. In its absence, Luke could see that the Princess was very young. His age, he'd guess. Somehow she had always seemed older. Now, she just looked young and vulnerable. Bizarrely, he had the urge to comfort her. For what, he wasn't sure.

"Your mother is Padmé Amidala," she said. Luke nodded. The Princess clipped her lightsaber onto her belt. "You should leave here. Now. Before my father realizes-"

"What are you doing?" Luke asked. The Princess took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes. 

_ \--20 YEARS EARLIER-- _

Padmé stumbled through the halls of Vader’s fortress, hoping and praying that Luke didn’t wake up, that he didn’t make a sound. 

She wasn’t sure where Leia was. When she had woken up to a dark, empty room, she had seized her opportunity to escape. The crib at the other end of the room had held just one baby, though. Perhaps Vader thought she wouldn’t leave without both of her children, or perhaps he just thought that a woman who had just given birth was no flight risk. Either way, he had underestimated her. 

At this time of night, the clone guards on duty were nothing more than a skeleton crew. They marched through the halls occasionally, but they didn’t seem to be expecting much trouble. The newly minted Empire were celebrating their victory, after all. The Jedi were gone, the Republic defeated. No one had any reason to suspect retaliation at this point. 

It took a few wrong turns and a few close calls, but eventually she found the hangar bay. She had never flown anything like these ships, but she was sure the controls couldn’t be that much different, so she climbed silently into the first one she saw. The ship wasn’t too much of a hassle to get started, but the feat was made more difficult by the sleeping baby strapped to her chest. But there’s nowhere in the small cockpit to safely store a baby, and Padmé didn’t trust anything but her own arms at that moment. An alarm went off throughout the fortress as Padmé tore out of the hangar, but she ignored it. As soon as she was able, she made the jump to lightspeed on random coordinates that she was only mostly sure wouldn’t land her into more trouble- like a crash with an asteroid or a clone troop. 

She wanted desperately to go home to Naboo, to take shelter with her family, but there was no way she was putting them in danger like that. It would be the first place for Vader to look, she was sure of it. She always ran home when she was in trouble.

Instead, she found herself cruising aimlessly around the outer rim. She was in a stolen ship, not inconspicuous in the slightest but then, nothing in the outer rim ever was. She was also wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown and holding an increasingly fussy baby, so her first order of business after ditching the ship would be to get herself some proper clothing. 

Then, she would have to see which of her friends was still living, and still taking messages. Obi-Wan had fled from Mustafar, and Padmé didn’t know what had happened after. Yoda might still be out there somewhere, but she had never quite trusted him. Bail, maybe. Cliegg Lars would be unexpected, and therefore probably safe. Last time she had seen them, though, Anakin had just killed a whole camp of sand people, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to face that yet. Then again, there were not many people left in the galaxy who had not witnessed the more murderous side of Anakin Skywalker. 

\--

Vader swept into the room where his wife was supposed to be recovering, baby cradled in his arms. Leia had been a bit fussy earlier, so he had taken her for a walk around the fortress to let Padmé rest. 

He had done it. He had really done it. Padmé was alive, and they had two perfect babies, and the galaxy was theirs to command. It was all coming together. He had been afraid when Padmé seemed reluctant to come with him, but it would all be okay now. 

But as he stepped into the room and the light switched on, he stopped cold in his tracks. 

The bed was empty. The crib, too. His wife and his son were gone. He crossed to the crib swiftly, setting Leia down. She couldn't have gotten too far, he reasoned. He hadn't been gone very long, and there weren't many places for her to have gone. 

But then, the alarms started ringing through the halls and his radio crackled to life. 

_ Unauthorised takeoff from the hangar bay. All troops high alert.  _

Vader ripped the radio from his belt and pressed the button to broadcast to all troops. "Don't shoot that ship, I want them alive." 

\--

The Jedi Order was gone. In one fell swoop, everything Obi-Wan had built his life around had been destroyed. And his own apprentice, the man who had been like a brother to him, was the one responsible. 

Obi-Wan should have killed him when he had the chance. He should have, but he didn’t. Because he had made the mistake of looking Vader in the eyes on Mustafar, and unnaturally red as they may have been, all he could see was that young slave boy on Tatooine, just looking for his place in the universe. 

So he had retreated. He wasn’t proud of it, but that had been his choice, and now he had to live with it. He had made his choice, and Padmé had made hers, and Anakin had made his, and now here they were. Obi-Wan, stuck on Polis Massa with the beginnings of a hastily-constructed rebel group, and Padmé and Vader off on Mustafar, awaiting the arrival of their child. 

_ Children _ , Obi-Wan corrected. He wasn’t sure either Padmé or Anakin had realized it, but he had felt them- both so strong already. They would be a force to be reckoned with someday. He just hoped they could become a force for good. 

He was aware that he was probably driving everyone else on the station mad with his pacing, but he couldn’t help it. He kept running over everything in his head- from the landing on Tatooine all those years ago, right up to the battle on Mustafar- trying to find where he had gone wrong. Trying to rewrite history. They should have refused to free Anakin in the first place. Left him to grow up, enslaved but safe, with his mother on Tatooine. With Cliegg and Owen. He should have refused to train him. Should have seen what Palpatine was doing to him. Should have listened more, lectured less. He wasn’t sure any of it could have been helped. 

“Obi-Wan,” Bail said, grabbing his sleeve. He stopped his pacing and turned to face the former senator. “You should hear this transmission we just got.” 


	2. Age 0

Padmé stumbled out of the ship and onto the little station on Polis Massa in a thin hospital gown, face gaunt and pale. She was clutching a baby to her chest desperately, as if afraid to let it go. Just one baby, Obi-Wan noticed. He surged forward to grab hold of her and she fell into his chest gratefully. Padmé Amidala was one of the strongest people Obi-Wan had ever met, period. But right now, she didn’t seem very much like Padmé. _ She’s been through hell _ , Obi-Wan reminded himself. She had loved Anakin in a way Obi-Wan couldn’t possibly understand. 

“Padmé, let me take them,” Bail said gently, appearing out of thin air to coax the baby from her arms. “We need to get the both of you to the med bay, okay?” 

Padmé nodded, pulling back from Obi-Wan. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided her silently to their med bay. He hoped that there was nothing much wrong with her, because there was nothing much they could fix here. A droid came to hook her up to machines, measuring her heart rate and administering nutrients and about a hundred other things Obi-Wan was clueless about. He sat by her bed and watched the droids work in silence. Next to her bed, close enough that she could see and touch and know he was there, was the baby.  _ Luke, _ Padmé had called him. 

Slowly, Padmé came to life there on Polis Massa. As she did, she told them everything. About Luke and the other twin- Leia, her name was- who she had been forced to abandon, but also about the fortress Vader had constructed and the staff he had there, all of the details she could remember. Anything she thought might help. Keeping her mind occupied seemed to be helping, so Obi-Wan kept prompting her with questions and discussion until the early hours of the morning, when she finally fell asleep. 

In the end, it was decided that the outer rim would be the safest place to disappear. They didn’t take the ship Padmé had flown off of Mustafar, instead opting for a nondescript freighter to take them to the nearest occupied planet so they could acquire through means dubious a ship that was not registered to an enemy of the new Empire. They left Polis Massa as soon as Padmé was feeling well enough, only a few days after her arrival. They had decided not to stick around too long to give Bail and the others the best chance to get the rebellion off the ground. Anakin’s master and his wife and child would be too conspicuous. 

“We can always go to Tatooine, I don’t think Vader would look there and the family are good people,” Padmé said, pulling Tatooine up on the map in the ship. “It’s not too far, it would be a place to rest up and make a plan at least.” 

“Are you certain it will be safe?” Obi-Wan asked, frowning at the map. 

“It’s better than sitting out in the open,” Padmé said. “We don’t stand a chance here. Tatooine is out of the way, and I don’t think he would be too eager to return.”

“He does hate the sand,” Obi-Wan acknowledged. “I don’t have a better idea, so that will have to do.” 

Padmé nodded, moving to plot their course to Tatooine. Before she could jump to lightspeed, though, a small cry broke out from the little crib they had managed to rig up in the cockpit. Padmé frowned, turning around. “He’ll be hungry soon,” she said, putting a hand on Luke’s tiny chest. She couldn’t get over how small he was, how fragile. Protecting him was the only thing that mattered now. 

She had lost Leia already, and she was not about to lose Luke. 

“Get ready to jump,” Obi-Wan said softly. Padmé nodded, scooping Luke up out of the crib and cradling him close to her chest. She held him securely as the ship jumped and the stars blurred past. 

\--

“What do you mean they’ve disappeared?” Vader demanded. It had been three days since Vader had watched his wife fly away on his ship with his son, and still no one had answers for him. No one could explain how a woman who had just given birth to twins had managed to walk out of the fortress with a baby in her arms and no one had noticed until she was already gone. He would have to double security on the whole planet. He would have to station one clone- no, two- by Leia’s side at all times. He had already lost one of his children, he wasn’t going to let them take Leia. 

“I-I mean the ship they flew out on ended up in a junkyard halfway across the galaxy,” the nervous-looking tech said. “It was abandoned out near Haruun Kal.” 

“Why would they go to Haruun Kal?” Vader asked. He was impatient for his family to be whole again. Leia was back in the med bay, he wasn’t sure what else to do with her just yet, but Vader could tell she was missing her twin. He wasn’t sure how he could tell, exactly, except that she seemed to cry more than he had expected, and she slept better when there was something else in the crib with her. She had latched onto, of all things, a plush Corellian Dire-Cat someone had dug up out of a box somewhere. It was possible that Vader was projecting his own anxiety at finding Padmé and Luke onto Leia, but they would all sleep better once they were home in any case. 

“I don’t think they actually went to Haruun Kal,” the tech said. “They must have just ditched the ship there.”

“What else is in that sector?” Vader demanded. “Anywhere they could have landed?” 

“There are refugee ships from the core all over the mid-rim right now, tracking down a single mother and a baby would be almost impossible.” 

“I want them found!” Vader shouted, slamming his fist down on the desk. The tech jumped. 

“Yes sir!” 

After he was done intimidating the tech, Vader made his way to the med bay. Leia was sleeping soundly, arms curled around her little Dire-Cat. Vader watched her sleep for what felt like hours, synching his own breath to the rise and fall of her little chest. 

For this, he had brought the Jedi order to its knees. For this, he would burn down planets and tear the galaxy apart piece by piece. Every child in every temple had been sacrificed at the altar of Vader’s all-consuming love. Children just like Luke and Leia who had, presumably, once had parents who loved them. He would have to ensure that it had been a worthy sacrifice. 

There was no going back now. 

  
  


_ \--20 Years Later-- _

Luke wasn’t sure when he had grown taller than his mother. She was such a formidable person, such a prominent figure in his life, that he had hardly expected to be larger than her in any way. But now, standing here outside of the Lars farm on Tatooine, twin suns beating down on them, he saw for the first time how truly small Padmé Amidala was. “Don’t worry, mom, I’ll come back,” he said, pulling her in for another hug. Uncle Ben was waiting by the ship, both of their bags slung over their shoulder. They had been called up to assist the rebellion against the rising threat of Emperor Vader’s mysterious apprentice, the Princess Vader. She was a well-trained Sith, and they needed a well-trained Jedi to face her. Luke was the only one left. 

“Be careful, Luke,” Padmé sighed, pulling back to brush his hair out of his face. From the look in her eyes, Luke knew she was remembering another Tatooine kid who had gone off to fight a war and never returned. “I love you.” 

She gave him a very sad little smile, and he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Love you too, mom.” 

“Luke, we have to go. The Princess won’t wait forever,” Ben called. Luke turned from his mother to walk to the ship, leaving the familiar desert behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I googled the heights of Natalie Portman and Mark Hamill specifically for this chapter. They're never on screen together, I had to make sure he is actually taller!  
> (According to Google, Natalie is 5'3 while Mark is 5'9, and Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness are both 5'10 but Obi-Wan's height didn't make it into the chapter. I didn't think Natalie Portman was that short but that may be due to the elaborate headgear she sports in the prequels.)


	3. Age 1

Vader had to admit that it was becoming difficult to get anything done with Leia around. 

It wasn’t Leia’s fault, of course. It was just that his subordinates seemed to be having a difficult time taking him seriously with the child on his hip. It had been easy when she was small and he could leave her with a med droid most of the time, but lately she seemed to be getting more and more attached to him. Leia would cry whenever he left the room, and whenever Leia cried Vader felt the need to soothe her cries. No, Leia could not be left with droids. She needed to be held, and she needed it to be by her father. Really, it was better for both of them this way. Still, it was hard to garner any sort of respect when people saw him as a father rather than a leader. 

The Emperor didn’t seem too keen on the situation, either. Vader knew that Palpatime would prefer Leia not be around at all, he himself had spent lots of time and energy tucking away more than one child into the hidden corners of the galaxy, but Vader wasn’t Palpatine, and he couldn’t just toss Leia aside. No, he had to come up with some kind of compromise. Something that would allow him to get his work done and keep an eye on his daughter. When she got bigger, of course, she would be his apprentice, but she was too small now to understand such things. 

The Emperor was going to be an issue in that regard, too. Traditionally, there were only two Sith- the master, and the apprentice. And when Leia became the apprentice, Vader would have to be the master, and that would mean the end of Palpatine. Vader knew it, and Palpatine knew it, so it was only a matter of time before they would have to fight. Vader supposed if he died, Palpatine might just take Leia on himself. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. 

Leia reached up and pulled at a lock of Vader’s hair, and he winced. “That’s not a toy, Princess,” he sighed, untangling her fingers. She grinned up at him with all of her six little white teeth, and he smiled back, allowing her to grip his fingers tightly. “Just a little longer and we can go and play,” he promised. He just had to finish intimidating information out of this bounty hunter, first. 

\--

Padmé thought it would be difficult to sleep well on a planet with two suns, but she found it was much easier than it had ever been to sleep on a planet that was one giant city, active all hours of the day and night. Tatooine, at least, got quiet sometimes. The earlier sun rose just a handful of hours after the later one set, but she was usually able to block out the light well enough to all back asleep after. 

Unless, of course, Luke woke her. Which he usually did, because his sleep schedule was all kinds of weird these days. But that morning, Padmé found that she had slept long past when Luke’s cries usually woke her. She pulled her robe on and went out into the living room to check on him, only to pause just inside the doorway. 

“-And that was when your father told us that he had never even finished a race, your mother was furious with us,” Obi-Wan was saying. Luke was watching with rapt attention as Obi-Wan recreated the story with a set of little wooden figurines he had carved, one of Anakin and Qui-Gon and of Padmé in her queen livery. He had first started with all of the dead Jedi and then had moved on to other friends. He was making the figurines float through the air, and Luke grabbed for the little Padmé as Obi-Wan plastered on a fake Queen Amidala voice. “I don’t think the Queen would approve of this,” he droned. Padmé clapped her hand over her mouth, trying to smother her laughter. The figures fell, and Luke grabbed for the Queen with a little laugh. Obi-Wan turned to face her, smiling in a self conscious sort of way. 

“Hello, Padmé,” he said, standing up to walk over to her. 

“I was wondering why I hadn’t heard him,” Padmé said, crossing her arms. Obi-Wan shrugged. 

“I heard him wake up, I thought I’d let you sleep. Beru went into town but there’s some food for you in the kitchen.” 

Padmé nodded, stepping past him to pick Luke up off the floor. He had her figurine in his mouth, and she pulled it out. “Don’t eat your mother,” she scolded playfully, leaning in to kiss his cheek. 

_ \--19 Years Later-- _

Leia adjusted her mask over her face and double-checked the clasp on her cape. It only took one ill-timed wardrobe mistake to unravel the reputation she had worked so hard to build. “I wouldn’t have expected this from the likes of Jyn Erso,” she said, raising her voice so her father could hear her from the other room. “We used to play together as children, back before her father became a traitor, she never seemed the type.” 

The news of Jyn’s plan had come too late for them to stop it, but they could still recover the plans if they worked quickly. They were just about ready to board the rebel ship, and this time Leia would be on her own. There was no reason to put the Emperor in danger, after all. 

“Well, people can be unpredictable,” her father said, stepping into the room and placing a hand on her shoulder. “I thought Erso was trustworthy, and he betrayed me. You thought Jyn was your friend and she goes and pulls something like this.” 

Leia nodded, sparing herself one last glance in the mirror. Nothing out of place, everything purposeful from the lines of the mask down to the durasteel toes of her boots. Her lightsaber was clipped to her belt, easily accessible in case of trouble. She had put a lot of thought into her hilt, all strong black lines and gold inlay. Flashy, sure, but what else was to be expected from the Heir Apparent to the Empire? 

“Okay, let’s get it done,” she said, turning from the mirror. Vader nodded, turning to lead her out of her room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, full disclosure, I know nothing about children. Things will pick up as the twins get older, promise. 
> 
> Also, I'm imagining Leia's lightsaber like the one in TROS but black instead of silver.


	4. Age 2

Over the past few months, as Luke had started to become increasingly mobile, the adults of the house had been forced to begin moving their things to higher shelves and blocking off stairways. But Luke, being force-sensitive, was more difficult to keep out of trouble than the average toddler. The day after Beru moved all of her dishes to the higher cabinets, she came into the kitchen just in time to see a glass fly out of the cabinet on its own and shatter against the opposite wall while Luke watched on. 

It was then that Ben decided he ought to begin educating Luke in the ways of the force. He had come to the Jedi order as a baby, and had grown up around the most force sensitive children in the galaxy, so he liked to think he knew a thing or two. The problem would be convincing Padmé that it was in her best interest. 

“I don’t like it,” Padmé said. Luke was out of the house, following Owen around the farm, so it was the perfect time to have a conversation without being interrupted. 

“It’s not like I’m teaching him to fight, not yet,” Ben said. Padmé raised an eyebrow. 

“So you are planning to teach him to fight, in the future,” she said. Ben sighed, rubbing at his forehead. 

“I had thought about it, yes,” he admitted. “Look, there’s still a chance that Vader will find him, I just want him to be ready.” 

“Ready to fight his own father, his sister?” 

“We don’t know that Leia-” 

“Like hell we don’t know,” Padmé said. “I know Vader, and I know Palpatine.” 

“Right now I just want to teach him some control,” Ben said. “He likes to break things, Padmé.”

Padmé sighed, closing her eyes. “I know,” she said. “Fine, teach him. But if I see you take that lightsaber out, Ben, I swear to God-”

“Padmé, he is two years old,” Ben said. “Not even the Jedi order gives them lightsabers that young.” 

“He won’t be two years old forever.” 

Before the conversation could continue, the front door burst open and Luke ran in, followed by Owen. “Show your mama what we found, Luke,” Owen said. 

“Lookit!” Lue said, holding up the lizard in his hands. Padmé laughed, kneeling down to take it from him. 

“Where did you find this, baby?” she asked. 

“Out there!” Luke said, pointing to the door. 

“He was outside?” 

“We found him behind one of the vaperators,” Owen said, placing a hand on Luke’s head. “He wanted to show you.” 

“Well, lizards live outside,” Padmé said, standing up and opening the door. “We shouldn’t take them in, they don’t belong here.” She led Luke to the outer edge of the property, away from the house, and knelt down in the sand. Luke sat beside her, and she gently transferred the lizard into his hands. “Let’s let him go here.” 

\--

Leia followed Vader through the halls of the star destroyer, plush Dire-Cat tucked under one arm. The thing was looking more and more ragged every day, but Leia screamed and cried every time he tried to take it away, and she wouldn’t settle for even the most convincing counterfeit. His child, he was learning, had strong opinions about everything, and at two years old she just about had the vocabulary to express them loudly. 

Plus, she had learned how to fling small projectiles at the back of his head with her mind when she wanted something. 

“What is it, Leia?” he asked, turning to kneel in front of the child. 

“Dada, she’s cold,” Leia said. Vader sighed, reaching out to rub her arms. He wasn’t sure where his daughter had picked up her habit of talking about herself in the third person

“Space is cold,” he said. He remembered the first time he had ever left Tatooine, Padmé laying a blanket over him when he complained about the cold.  _ You come from a warm planet, Ani. _ He had gotten used to the cold soon enough. “I’ll find you a blanket, okay?” 

“Okay,” Leia said, hugging the Dire-Cat tighter. Vader ran through the week in his head, trying to frame it through the eyes of a toddler. They would be off planet for a few days still. He wasn’t quite sure how Leia would react to the change in schedule. 

“We can go right now, before we get dinner,” he said, standing up and holding out his hand. Leia took it in her tiny one and skipped along after him. He led her to their cabin and pulled a blanket out of the little closet set into the wall, wrapping it tight around her shoulders. Leia pulled the edge up over her ears as Vader tried to figure out how best to keep it out from under her feet. “Don’t trip on this, okay?” 

“She’s like Dada,” Leia said, adjusting the blanket around her shoulders like a cape. 

“That’s right, Princess,” he said, patting her head. “You look very fierce. Let’s go get some dinner.” 

_ \--18 Years Later-- _

Ben and Padmé had gotten rid of their ship shortly after coming to Tatooine, and the Larses didn’t have one, so they were forced to make their way to Mos Eisley to find transport off-world. Luke followed close behind Ben, glancing around him at the buzzing “hive of scum and villainy.” 

“This is where Dad grew up?” he asked. Ben nodded. 

“This is where we met him, at least,” he said. “I don’t know where he was before he came to Wato.” 

Luke frowned. “Was he really a slave?” he asked. Ben and his mother had both told Luke the stories about his father, but he suspected that some of them were exaggerated. 

“He was,” Ben said slowly. “Qui-Gon won him in the pod races, but we had to leave his mother- your grandmother, Shmi- behind.” 

Luke nodded. He had seen the gravestones in front of the Lars homestead, the one for Shmi Skywalker-Lars and the one for Owen’s mother and the newest one, Grandpa Lars, right between his two wives. “And then Grandpa bought her,” he filled in. Ben nodded. 

“And then your grandfather bought her. Let’s go here.” 

They walked into a cantina. Bright as it was outside, it was dim and cool in here. The kinds of people who lived in Mos Eisley were different from the moisture farmers Luke had grown up with. This was a rougher sort, travelers and slave traders and bounty hunters. People who didn’t want to be found, and the people who were looking for them. Luke spotted a Wookie at a table tucked away in the far corner, head bent low next to a human man. 

“How are we going to find a pilot here?” Luke asked. 

“Leave that to me,” Ben said. “Stop looking around like that, you’re drawing attention.” 

Luke wasn’t sure what he was looking around right, but he focused on training his eyes on the back of Ben’s head. His hair was grayer now than it had been, he was just beginning to get old. The Tatooine desert tended to age people faster than most places. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I had to get Han involved.


	5. Age 3

Vader had been plagued with nightmares most of his life, and only after joining the Jedi temple did he learn that they meant something. So when Leia woke up crying for the third night in a row, he had an idea about what it meant. 

“What did you dream about?” he asked, kneeling next to her bed. Leia sniffled, hugging the Dire-Cat tighter to her chest and peering at him through its fluff. 

“It was a boy,” she said, “he was like me.” 

Vader frowned, pressing the head of the Dire-Cat down to get a better look at her face. “What do you mean, Princess?” 

Leia shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. 

“You said he was like you,” Vader said, “how was he like you?” 

Leia just shrugged again, frowning. “I think I hurt him,” she said finally. 

Vader sighed, leaning forward to wipe the tears off her cheeks. “You know I used to have dreams, too?” he said. 

“What was in them?” she asked. Vader hesitated.  _ Bad things,  _ he didn’t want to say to this toddler.  _ People getting hurt. _

“Your mother,” he said finally. Leia perked up. Vader didn’t talk to her about Padmé that much, so she clung onto any mention of her mother. “Sometimes people like you and me can see things before they happen. I had a dream about the day you were born.” 

“Was it true?” she asked. 

“No,” Vader said. “No, it wasn’t true. I made it not be true.” 

Leia nodded firmly. “Okay,” she said. 

“Do you want me to stay with you?” he asked, pulling the blanket back over her. Leia settled back down, rolling onto her side to look at him. 

“Tell me a story,” she demanded. Vader settled down, mulling it over in his head. Finally, he decided on one that he thought she would like. 

“This is a story about your mother,” he said, “back when she was a Queen.” 

\--

Padmé burst through the door of Luke’s room, drowsy and panicked and half-convinced she would find her son dead, or hurt, or gone. But he was still in bed, sitting up with his knees pulled to his chest, tears flowing down his face. Pande sighed, falling to her knees next to him. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, wiping the tears from his face. Luke sniffled, leaning down to hug her. 

“I had a dream,” he said into the collar of her robe. Padmé patted him on the back gently, trying to soothe his tears. 

“Wanna talk about it?” she asked. Luke sat up, running his sleeved arm under his nose. 

“She hurt me,” he said, clutching his arms to his chest. 

“Who did?” Padmé asked. 

“The girl,” Luke said. Padmé nodded. 

“Right, the girl. Can you tell me about her?” ske asked, voice gentle. She glanced over her shoulder at the half-open door, where she could see Beru and Ben lurking. The concern was touching. She shot them a look, and Ben closed the door quietly. 

“She looks like me,” Luke said. 

_ She looks like me.  _

“When would be the right time to tell him something like that?” Padmé hissed, leaning closer to Ben so as not to be overheard. “I can’t tell him about  _ her  _ without telling him about  _ their father _ , and I don’t want him knowing-”

“You can’t keep it from him forever, Padmé,” Ben said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She pulled away from him, and he let her. 

“What am I supposed to say here? That my husband is a murderer, that I ran away in the night and I could only take one of my children? I abandoned her to who knows what fate at his hands? That every time we get news of the Empire I want to be so, so angry about what he’s doing to the galaxy that I spent my entire life trying to make better, but all I can be is-  _ relieved _ , because as long as they are alive there is a chance I can get them back?” She stopped, breathing hard. Ben frowned. 

“Well, ideally not that,” he said slowly. Padmé shot him a look. “This isn’t easy, I know,” he sighed. 

“No, you really don’t,” Padmé shot back. Ben nodded. 

“No, I guess I don’t. It’s your choice, but he’s going to keep dreaming about her, and he’s going to have questions. You can’t shield him from everything.” 

_ \--17 Years Later-- _

It was almost too easy. The fight was over the second Leia set foot on the rebel ship. Their plan was poorly executed from the start, it was a wonder they made it as far as they did. Leia was back aboard her father’s star destroyer in time for dinner, the Death Star plans back in her hands. Plus, they had taken out Jyn Erso’s little rogue team. All in all, it had been a good day. Leia took off her mask and slid into the seat across from her father. 

“Good work today,” he said as a droid served her. 

“I didn’t have to do anything, they surrendered right away,” she said. Vader nodded. 

“But they didn’t give up their base,” he said. 

That was true. The ship they had intercepted at Scarif had been scarcely manned, and they hadn’t captured any rebels alive. “I’ll get them,” she promised, taking a bite of her food. “It’s only a matter of time, there aren’t so many places in the Galaxy they can hide.” 

Vader winced. “Be that as it may, we would be better off to get this settled sooner rather than later.” 

“It’ll be easier now that we have the battle station,” she said, “there’s no way they can take it out without those plans.” 

Honestly, Leia wasn’t sure if blowing up entire planets was the solution to their rebel problem, but she wasn’t going to try and argue that point with her father. Besides, they would never even have to use the Death Star if the rebels cooperated. Give up the fight, and let their planets live. Pick a fight they never had a hope of winning and they would die. 

You could justify a lot, trying to uphold an Empire. Sometimes the weight of it exhausted her. 


	6. Age 4

Padmé had been reluctant to allow the training at first, she would admit to that. Her opinion of the Jedi arts was not very high at the moment, what with her husband going mad and killing a bunch of children. But Luke was happy and eager to learn, and as long as he was meditating he wasn’t getting himself in trouble. Plus, he wasn’t dreaming about Leia as much, now that Ben had taught him how to control the dreams. Padmé kept putting off talking to him, telling herself that it would be better if he were older, more able to understand the world, but the truth was she was afraid. She didn’t know if Luke would ever understand. 

She stood in the doorway of what Ben called the Jedi Sanctuary, a little spare room on the top floor of the house that served as Luke’s school. It was a bright little room, kept carefully clean of the desert sand that invaded every corner of the house. There was a bookshelf tucked against the wall, the sacred texts written from memory by Ben, who had studied them all his life. Along the top of the shelf, Ben’s little wooden carvings were lined up in a neat little row. Their paint was beginning to wear, showing off the love of a toddler. Luke’s particular favorites were his father and Ahsoka Tano, and it showed. 

Luke was sitting in the middle of the floor, eyes closed. Ben sat across from him in a similar pose. It didn’t escape Padmé that this was the only time anyone could get Luke to sit still, but he was enthusiastic about his Jedi training. After a moment, she tapped on the doorway to get their attention. She thought they probably knew she was there, but it was the polite thing to do. Luke’s eyes fluttered open. “Are we done?” he asked. Ben sighed, standing up. 

“I suppose that will do,” he said, “go see what your mother wants.” 

Luke bounced to his feet and ran to hug Padmé. She caught him easily, petting his blond hair back. “Uncle Owen wants to know if you want to go into Anchorhead with him this afternoon,” she said. Luke grinned, pushing past her and running downstairs to where his Uncle was waiting. Ben was standing in the middle of his Sanctuary, watching the scene. Padmé stepped into the room, making sure to dust her feet off on the rug as she did. 

“How is meditation going?” she asked. Ben sighed, rubbing at his forehead. 

“He is- getting the hang of it,” he said. “He’s certainly eager.” 

\--

“Concentrate, Leia,” Vader said, crossing his arms. Leia frowned, squeezing her eyes shut tighter and holding her hand out. The rock on the table didn’t move. 

“I am,” she complained. Vader sighed, picking up the rock and putting it in his pocket. 

“I think that’s enough,” he said. Leia had been able to move things with the force since she was small, but she rarely seemed to be able to do it intentionally. He was worried about pushing her too hard when she was young, but it was hardly more than the Jedi Order had asked of their Younglings. She was certainly old enough to move a rock off a table. 

Leia opened her eyes, frowning. “I can do it,” she argued. 

“I know,” Vader said, “later. Right now, you have a lesson to get to, and I need to see the Emperor,” he said, putting a hand on her back to lead her out of the training room he had requested be built for her. Other than her training in the Force, which he supervised personally, Leia also had lessons with tutors a few times a week. Vader had not been afforded the privilege of a structured education as a child, and he had felt its absence clearly throughout his life. No amount of studying could catch him up to his peers, to Padmé. He wanted his child to have every advantage he never did. 

Vader dropped her off in the classroom adjacent to the training room, where her reading lesson was set up, and made his way to the Emperor’s room. 

“You are spending too much time with the child and not enough with your duties, Lord Vader,” Palpatine said. Vader frowned, clenching a fist at his side. 

“She shows great promise-” he began, running through his prepared speech in his mind. Palpatine held up a hand, stopping him. 

“Lots of children in the galaxy have potential, Vader,” he said, “but our Empire needs you. When she is older, there will be a place for her in our order, that I have promised you, but I have no need for children. Why do you think I let you be trained by Kenobi all those years?” 

Vader too a deep breath, fighting back all of the words that he knew would only make things worse. “I won’t let you down.” 

_ \--16 Years Later-- _

Luke wasn’t so sure about Han Solo. Sure, there weren’t many people willing to take two strangers off planet, no questions asked, in exchange for a truly absurd amount of money, but there had to be someone not on the run from one of the most infamous cartels around. Even Luke had heard of the Hutts, and he hadn’t heard of all that many things, galactically speaking. 

“So who’s this old friend, anyway?” Luke asked. He was sitting at the  Dejarik table across from Ben, contemplating his next move. He had lost twice to the Wookie before he had gotten bored and returned to the cockpit, so it was just Luke and Ben now. 

“He was a senator of the Old Republic,” Ben said, watching Luke’s hologram move. “Apparently, the rebel alliance ran into some trouble with the Sith Princess, and they think they need a Jedi.” 

Luke frowned. “I don’t know about this,” he confessed. “I understand that what the Empire is doing is wrong, but I don’t know if I’m ready to face off against a Sith Lord.” 

“The Princess is not a Sith Lord,” Ben corrected. “She’s an apprentice, like you. Her Master was a Jedi, before he turned to the dark side. You’ve likely had much of the same training.” 

Luke sighed, staring at the flickering holograms. He was itching to pull the table apart, he could tell that something was loose inside, but he wasn’t sure how Han Solo would feel about him pulling the ship apart. The thing was a hunk of junk, sure, but the pilot clearly loved it. “My training is all theoretical, I’ve never been in a fight.” 

“Well,” Ben said, pushing a button on the table, “you punched out Molo Bright when you were ten.” 

Luke groaned, dropping his head to the table. The holograms flickered. “I was defending Biggs,” he said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I didn't just spend 20 minutes trying to name a character that is mentioned in passing and bears no relevance to the plot, why do you ask?


	7. Age 5

Vader paced the floor, staring at nothing. The techs at their screens flinched every time he walked past, but he barely noticed. 

“I don’t understand, what happened?” he asked. 

It had been so easy to keep Leia a secret. As long as she was with him on Mustafar, as long as the rebels didn’t know about her, she was safe. Of course, he had never been totally sure the rebels didn’t know about Leia, because there was the possibility Padmé had told them, but they had never had confirmation. 

“Someone spotted her coming off the Star Destroyer on Coruscant, Lord,” one of the techs said, standing up. “There’s a video.”

Vader stopped, turning towards the tech. She was holding out a holoprojector with a fuzzy video of Leia following him off of the Star Destroyer played on a loop. Vader struck his hand out, and the holoprojector flew out of her hand and shattered against the far wall. She jumped back, eyes wide and shocked. 

“That hangar bay was supposed to be empty,” Vader growled, “did we do a perimeter sweep?” 

“We did,” another tech acknowledged. “We think someone hid a recording device somewhere in the hangar.”

“Do we not sweep for recording devices?” Vader asked. The tech swallowed. 

“We do, My Lord,” he said. “It was an oversight.” 

This time, Vader struck the tech. He landed on the floor next to the broken projector, groaning. He looked relatively unharmed, which was fine. Good techs were hard to come by lately, ever since his propensity for killing them in anger had been discovered. “Make sure we have no other oversights,” he said, addressing the room at large. “Leia and I will be remaining on Mustafar for the time being, until her safety can be assured.”

With that, he stalked out of the room. Leia was sitting by the door, knees pulled to her chest. “Are you angry at me?” she asked, standing as he came out. “I heard you saying my name in there, and the loud noises. Am I in trouble?” Vader frowned. 

“Never, Princess,” he said. “I’m angry because you’re not safe, and I don’t want you to be hurt.” 

“Are the rebels coming to find me?”

Vader shook his head. “I’m not going to let that happen, I promise.” Leia nodded, falling into his arms. She was getting too big to be carried, but he picked her up anyway, swinging her around onto his shoulders. She laughed, clutching at his neck. “Let’s go do something fun, I wouldn’t want to raise a boring daughter.” 

\--

Padmé stared at the holoprojector. It was playing the same video on a loop, a small dark-haired child clutching at Vader’s cape as they came off of a Star Destroyer on Coruscant. 

They didn’t get much communication from the rebel alliance, for everyone’s safety, but the video had been sent anonymously on an encrypted line the day before. It had to be from Bail, because he was the only person who both knew where they were and knew about Leia. She was grateful for it. 

Ben set a mug of tea in front of her, taking the other seat at the table. “Are you okay?” he asked. Padmé nodded slowly. 

“I think so,” she said. “She- she looks good, right? She looks okay?” 

Ben nodded. “She looks okay,” he said. “Vader has done a lot of bad things, Padmé, but I don’t think he would ever hurt his own child.” 

“Still, there’s Palpatine,” she muttered, sipping at her tea. Leia’s head peeked out from behind her father, eyes wide and curious. The holovid wasn’t very good quality, but it had been so long since she had seen anything of her daughter that even that glimpse was a miracle. She reached out to touch it, and her fingers passed right through the tiny hand fisted on the edge of Vader’s cape. 

She had spent just long enough studying his face to determine that there was nothing familiar in it. It was Anakin’s face, sure, a bit thinner maybe, but there was a seriousness to it, an anger, that she had never seen. She couldn’t look at it again. 

Ben reached out and shut off the projector. “You’re going to drive yourself crazy, Padmé,” he said softly. “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling, I know, but sitting here in this room watching this video won’t get her back. Beru will be back with Luke any minute, you need to collect yourself.” 

Padmé sighed, downing the rest of her tea and standing up. She went to put the projector away where she wouldn’t think about it, then busied herself scrubbing the house clean until Luke got home. 

The door swung open a half hour later, and Luke’s feet pounded their way toward her. He was getting better at feeling for her with the force, and could almost always find her, even in the attic sorting through a box labeled  _ Shmi _ . He threw his arms around her neck and pressed a kiss to her cheek. 

“Oh, hello, little monster,” she said, pulling him around to sit in her lap. “How was Anchorhead?” 

“Real good! The mechanic let me hold his tools today!  
Padmé laughed, holding him tight to her. “Your father was a very good mechanic,” she told him. “Look, this is his mother’s stuff, see?” 

“Woah,” Luke said, reaching out to touch a small photo of Shmi and Ani. It was one of the few photos they had, from before Padmé had met him. 

“He looks like you,” she said, kissing the back of Luke’s blond head. 

  
  


_ \--15 Years Later-- _

“What do you mean they have a Jedi?” Leia demanded, planting her fists on the long table. 

“It seems Obi-Wan Kenobi has resurfaced on Alderaan, Princess,” the General said, handing her a holoprojector. It was a close-up still of two faces, an older man and a younger. “We believe that is his apprentice. Our spies confirmed they paid a visit to Bail Organa, who is believed to be part of the rebel alliance.” 

Leia groaned, closing her eyes. “This is just what we need right now,” she said, raising a hand to her face. “First they try and steal the death star plans, and now that that has failed they’re calling up the only two Jedi in the known Galaxy? How did we not know about this?” 

“Jedi Master Yoda is believed to be alive as well, Princess,” someone said. She whirled to face them, glaring. 

“I don’t remember asking about Jedi Master Yoda,” she said. “Did I ask about Jedi Master Yoda?” 

“I just mean-” the man started. He ducked his head, eyes shifting. “They aren’t the only two Jedi. Because- Master Yoda.” 

“Right now, how about we focus on the Jedi we know are colluding with known rebels? How about that?” she said. The man swallowed. 

“Yes, Princess.” 

“As I was saying, how did we not know that Obi-Wan Kenobi was training an apprentice?” she demanded, eyes sweeping the room. The best generals and strategists in the Empire, and none of them could answer a simple question. “Where have they been hiding out?” 

“The ship they flew in on was seen blasting its way out of Mos Eisley, Princess,” a woman on the other side of the table said. “It is believed to be owned by a smuggler who owes a debt to the Hutts, he won’t be hard to find.” 

Leia nodded. “Very good,” she said. “Someone find that smuggler, someone else figure out what is going on in Mos Eisley, I’ll deal with the Jedi.” 

“There is no need to look into Mos Eisley,” her father said from the doorway. She turned to face him. 

“How long have you been there?” she demanded. “You never come to the war council!” 

“If you send a team to Tatooine, it would be best to start in Anchorhead,” he said, stepping into the room. His face was very serious, his arms behind his back. It was a stance he had perfected since becoming the Emperor, one that told everyone around not to fuck with him. “But don’t devote too many resources to that dust ball, I have a feeling its most interesting residents have left the planet.” 

Leai nodded. “Yes, sir,” she said, turning back to her war council. “Well, you heard him. Someone put a team together to go to Anchorhead, someone else find the smuggler! We don’t have infinite time here!” 

The council sprung to action, forming smaller groups and pulling up maps on holoprojectors and making travel plans. Leia watched it all happen, taking p her father’s stance. Face hard, arms behind her back, head held high. Vader glanced over at her, and his mouth twitched up into something that was almost a smile. 


	8. Age 6

Luke stood nervously in front of the squat little building, both hands clutching the strap of his bag. Just through those doors, a whole class of kids his own age were waiting. 

Luke had never met a kid his own age. He had spent all his life with just his Aunt and Uncles and Mom. He wasn’t counting the dreams about the girl with the braided hair and his mother’s eyes. 

“Are you nervous, Luke?” Uncle Ben asked, kneeling down next to him. Luke looked 

away, swallowing hard. 

“What if they don’t like me?” he asked. “What if they think I’m stupid?” 

Uncle Ben laughed, reaching out to touch his shoulder. “You are not stupid, Luke,” he said. “And they’re going to love you.”

“I loved school when I was your age,” his mother said, smiling down at him. “I was very good at it, and you will be too.” 

Luke nodded, resolute. “Okay,” he said. “I’m going in.” 

Uncle Ben nodded, standing up. He glanced behind him at the two adults as he walked through the door. His mother gave him a little wave, and he waved back. Then, the door slid shut behind him, and he was standing in the schoolhouse. There weren’t too many kids in Outer Anchorhead, and they all fit into one school room. The older students had a school of their own, but this room held about 20 moisture farm children between the ages of six and twelve. He stood in the doorway, frozen. He wasn’t sure what to do. A woman in a long dress with soft gray hair walked up to him, smiling kindly. 

“What is your name?” she asked, pulling out a screen with a list of names on it. 

“Luke Amidala,” he said. The woman nodded, checking him off the list. 

“The other kids your age are over here,” she said, leading him to a round table with six kids sitting at it. He dropped his bag next to an empty chair and sat down. Their group was the biggest in the room. There was only one sullen looking twelve year old sitting alone, and one of the tables was entirely empty. He glanced around at the faces. Some of them he recognized from trips into Anchorhead, or the nearby farms, but he didn’t know their names. 

“Hi, I’m Luke,” he said in a rush. A dark haired boy across the table grinned at him. 

“I’m Biggs Darklighter,” he said. He turned to the kid next to him and punched his shoulder. “Say your name!” he demanded. 

The other kids at the table were called Sanni, Mica, Jan, Tank, and Molo. They all seemed to know each other, or at least their families knew each other, so he was the odd one out. But then Jan’s family knew Aunt Beru’s, and Mica remembered seeing Luke in Anchorhead with Uncle Owen, and the awkwardness was broken. 

The conversation buzzed to a stop when the gray haired woman took the front of the room and asked for quiet, but Luke was beginning to enjoy school. He had always liked lessons with Uncle Ben, and this was just a bigger version of that. 

\--

There was a hum of excitement in the air of Fortress Vader. People had been rushing around for days, speaking in low voices about their new visitors and making preparations. A set of rooms Leia had never seen used were cleaned out, and her father had been much too busy to see her any other time than for their usual evening training sessions. She was outwardly pouting about that, but she didn’t mind being alone that much. When her father was busy, it was easier to sneak away from her nanny droid and wander the halls of the fortress. She liked listening to her father’s officers when they thought no one could hear, and she liked when people flew into a panic over her, only to find her wedged away somewhere secret. She always had to find new hiding places, because they almost always found her, but Fortress Vader had plenty. 

At the moment, she was wedged behind a statue on a pedestal in the corner of the entrance hall, watching Krennic and the new visitor talk. She couldn’t quite hear them from this distance, which was frustrating, but if she moved they would see her. The man was tall, with light brown hair, and he wore the same uniform as Krennic- the uniform of a science officer. Behind him trailed a smaller woman with dark hair and a worried face. And behind her, looking very small and lost in the imposing hall, was a child. She was bigger than Leia, but Leia couldn’t guess at her age. She frowned, watching the child trail the woman who must be her mother. Leia slipped out from behind her pedestal, intending to sneak back to her room without being caught, but the sound of her footfall echoed in the room, and Krennic turned. 

“What are you doing out here, Princess?” he demanded. Leia attempted to make a run for it, but he crossed the room and grabbed her arm. “Your father would not be pleased,” he said. 

“I know,” Leia said, trying to squirm out of his grasp. “Lemme go!” 

Krennic turned back to the visitors, still holding her arm. “I am very sorry about this, Galen,” he said, “let me just call the child’s nanny droid to take her back to her rooms.” 

“Who’s child is she?” the woman asked. Krennic frowned, turning to her as if he had not expected to hear her speak. 

“She’s the princess of this fortress,” he said finally, ignoring Leia’s struggles to free herself. The woman nodded. 

“I’d be more than happy to wait here with her for her droid, if you two men want to get started with your business,” she said, kneeling down in front of Leia. “What’s your name, Princess?” 

Leia frowned distrustfully at her. The other child darted forward to stand next to her mother, tilting her head at an angle. “Hello, I’m Jyn Erso,” she said, holding out her hand. Leia took it cautiously, and Jyn shook once. “My father is here on very important business.” 

“I’m Leia,” Leia told her. Then, realizing that Jyn had given a second name and Leia had not, she followed it with, “Leia Vader.” 

_ \--14 Years Later-- _

Han Solo had spent just enough time on Alderaan to collect his money before leaving, and Luke couldn’t say he was sorry to see him go. Han seemed like a whole lot of trouble, and that was the last thing they needed. 

Ben and Luke made their way through the capital city of Aldera towards the Royal Palace. It wasn’t the most inconspicuous of meeting spots, but it was private and open to only those that Bail and Queen Breha trusted wholly. 

Alderaan was the most beautiful place Luke had ever seen, not that he had seen very many places. The rolling hills of green and snow-capped mountains were a far cry from the endless desert sand of his own home. There was water everywhere, and everything was growing. Ben, who had seen quite a few more places than Luke himself, kept him moving through the city even as he stared around them at the gleaming white buildings. 

“I never imagined there were places like this,” Luke said. Ben turned to look at him, a little sad though he was smiling. 

“The galaxy is bigger than you know, Luke,” he said. “But the Royal Palace is truly the sight to behold.” 

Luke nodded and hurried after him towards the Palace. 

Bail and the Queen were both waiting for them in the entrance hall, a cool room with high windows showing off the very best that Alderaan had to offer. “Sorry for the delay,” Ben said, hurrying forward to clasp Bail’s hand, “he’s never been off Tatooine.” 

“Well, Alderaan is certainly the right place to visit,” the Queen said, stepping forward to shake Luke’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, your mother is a dear friend.” 

Luke nodded. “She speaks highly of you both,” he said. 

“Well then,” Bail said, clapping his hands, “why don’t we get down to business?” 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Breha said, moving to kiss her husband on the cheek. “I hope the two of you enjoy your stay here on Alderaan.” 

“Thank you, Queen,” Ben said, nodding to her. The Queen swept out of the room, and Bail led them off in another direction. Bail’s office had a tank of strange sea creatures Luke couldn’t identify up against the wall, and he drifted over to it to watch the animals move as Bail and Ben sat down. 

“Luke, are you listening?” Ben asked. Luke jerked his head away from the tank, turning to face the two men. 

“What?” 

“Honestly, Luke, you remind me more of your father every day,” Ben sighed. “Come sit down, we have important business.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured the kids are old enough to speak for themselves now, yes? 
> 
> (The more I think about Alderaan the angrier I am that they just blew it up. Alderaan is peaceful, they have no weapons!)


	9. Age 7

Luke sat cross-legged in the middle of the Sanctuary, listening to Uncle Ben recount yet another story from his days as a general in the Clone Wars. He had heard all of the stories before, but that didn’t stop him from listening with rapt attention as Ben described a particularly daring act of heroism on his part. When he was done, Luke sat up on his knees eagerly. 

“Uncle Ben, when can I learn to use a lightsaber?” he asked. Ben frowned, crossing his arms. 

“Your mother doesn’t think that is a good idea, Luke,” he said hesitantly. “And I must say I agree. There is no reason for you to learn, not now. Maybe when you’re older-” 

“But you were younger than me when you started training, you told me yourself!” Luke argued, staring Ben down. Ben sighed, rubbing his forehead. 

“There was a lot that was wrong about the way that the Jedi treated children,” he said finally. “Right now, I think it is best that we focus on the three applications of the force.” Ben raised an eyebrow expectantly, and Luke sighed, dropping back down and crossing his legs. 

“Control, sense, alter,” he said. “I know, Uncle Ben.” 

“And your father was older than you before he started learning even that much,” Ben said gently. “We have all the time in the world here.” 

“Mom, why did you tell Uncle Ben I couldn’t have a lightsaber?” Luke asked. Padmé was in the middle of making dinner, but she set her knife down and turned to face Luke. 

“Did he tell you that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“He said you didn’t want me to learn to fight, but I’m ready!” Luke said, crossing his arms and staring up at his mother. Padmé sighed, leaning down to get on Luke’s level. 

“I just don’t want you getting hurt, Luke,” she said. “I don’t think it’s safe, not right now.” 

“Then when?” Luke asked, but he was softening under his mother’s gentle gaze. “I just want to be like Uncle Ben and my dad,” he said. Padmé nodded, placing her hands on his shoulders. 

“I know you do,” she said. “But the stories your Uncle tells you- he leaves things out. Times where they got hurt, where the people who loved them had to worry about them. Your father- he tried so hard to protect us, Luke, you and I and your Uncle Ben, and that was the thing that ruined him. I don’t want to have to worry about you in that way,” she explained. Luke frowned. 

“But there isn’t a war, mom,” he said. “There isn’t anyone to hurt me.” 

Padmé nodded, gathering him into her arms. “We’re going to keep it that way, okay?” 

“-just think we should explore our options,” Ben said quietly. Luke ducked further behind the door, peering through the crack at his mother and Ben. 

“It’s out of the question, Ben,” Padmé said sharply. 

“You think he isn’t training her?” 

“I try not to think about it,” Padmé said. 

“You’re the one who wanted to drop everything and rush into hostile space-” 

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Luke frowned, stepping away from the door quietly. His mother and Uncle Ben had been arguing more lately, about things that Luke didn’t quite understand. There was something they weren’t telling him, and it infuriated Luke. He hated having secrets kept from him. He hated adults parading around like they were trying to protect him when he didn’t even know what from. Sometimes, it was no good to be the only kid in a family with four adults. 

\--

Leia sat in the training room, waiting for her father. He was never late, but he was today. On top of her father being late, Jyn’s family had been gone a week now, and Leia was bored. Jyn and her didn’t have that much in common, but it had been good to have something like a friend. At the very least, they both enjoyed sneaking around the fortress and swapping bits of secret information. It had been fun. But now they had gone away, to Coruscant or somewhere, Leia thought. It had happened in a hurry, Leia hadn’t even said good-bye. 

The door slid open, and Leia perked up. Vader walked in, cape swishing behind him. Leia loved that cape. It gave everything he did a bit of extra flair, and Leia was quite jealous. “Sorry I’m late, Leia,” he said, reaching out to hug her. Leia fell into his arms gladly. 

“Hello, father,” she said. “What are we doing today?” 

Vader grinned. “I have something very exciting planned for you, my Princess,” he said. Leia grinned, following him across the training room. He opened a cabinet and pulled out two things- the first was a helmet, the kind he used to obscure her eyes for some of her training. The other was a simple lightsaber hilt. “This is a training lightsaber,” he said, holding it out to her. “Instead of injuring, it gives a harmless electric shock if you touch it.” 

Leia stared down at it in awe. Lightsabers, simply put, were  _ cool _ . Sure, the Force was great and all, but there was just something about a glowing sword. She slid her finger over the smooth hilt, then pressed the button. It ignited, lighting the room red. “Woah,” she whispered, swishing it through the air experimentally. Her father smiled down at her, affectionate, and pulled the helmet over her head. The visor sayed up, not yet covering her eyes. 

“We’ll practice with the training droids a little later, but right now we need to work on your stance,” he said. Leia nodded, gripping the hilt with both hands and spreading her feet. Vader shook his head, adjusting her hands. “Like this,” he said. “Feet closer, bend your knees a bit. That’ll give you more room to move. That’s better.” 

They worked on basic foot motions and swings until Leia was sweaty and panting, and then Vader flipped down her visor and turned on the little round droid. “This’ll sting when it hits you, but it won’t harm you,” he said. “Remember, trust your instincts.” 

Leia missed the first shot, and winced when it hit her shoulder. The next shot also slid past her lightsaber, but she ducked around it. She listened carefully for the familiar sound of the droid firing, took a deep breath, and lifted her lightsaber. This time, the laser shot hit plasma. Leia cheered and almost struck herself with the lightsaber. Vader shut down the droid and walked over to her, lifting the mask. 

“Good work, Princess,” he said. 

_ \--13 years later-- _

“It may not be possible to get to this smuggler without going through Jabba the Hutt,” General Tarkin said, “perhaps if we organized a trade.” 

Leia frowned. “I don’t want to deal with the Hutt cartel if we don’t have to,” she said. “Has the ship been spotted anywhere?”

Since her father had insisted on overseeing the Tatooine mission, for reasons Leia could not fathom as he himself had called it useless, she was on her own with the hunt for the smuggler who had helped the Jedi.  _ Han Solo _ , his name was. He was known to travel with a Wookie, of all things. 

“Not since they jumped to light speed,” Tarkin said. Leia sighed, staring down at the datapad in her hands. 

“So Hutt is our only lead, then.” 

Tarkin nodded. “Should I make the call, Princess?” 

Leia nodded. “Let me know how it goes,” she said, shoving the datapad at him. “I’ll be in my room.” 

Leia was sitting on her bed, legs crossed, when Tarkin came in. She had been trying to meditate, like her dad taught her, but her mind kept wandering to the dreams she used to have as a child. The ones about the blond boy with one hand. She could still remember the pain as if it was her own. Now, she knew how the Force could echo through time, but back then it had been terrifying. 

“Hutt has apprehended the smuggler,” Tarkin said from the doorway. Leia jumped, eyes flying open. 

“By the blasted stars, Tarkin, knock next time!” 

Tarkin shrank back into the doorway and tapped on the wall outside. Leia rolled her eyes, getting to her feet. “Yes, General, I see you,” she said. “So Hutt has our man?” 

“He will be on the base shortly,” Tarkin said. Leia nodded. 

“Take him to the detention level, I’ll deal with him,” she said. 

Han Solo turned out to be pretty much exactly what she had been expecting. These risk-taking flyboys all looked the same, with their casually ruffled appearance and cocky manner. Of course, they all believed it to be a brand all their own, but Leia had met enough of them not to be fooled. She was wearing her mask and cape now, trying to look taller than her true height. The thick boots certainly helped with that. 

“Han Solo,” she greeted. The man looked towards her, raising an eyebrow. 

“You’re the Princess everyone’s been telling me about,” he said. “Is that mask supposed to intimidate me?” 

Leia sighed, crossing her arms. This was going to be a very long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't give your children weapons or shoot lasers at them, people. 
> 
> As of me posting this chapter, I've officially hit 1000 views on this fic!
> 
> Thanks for all the views, kudos, and comments, I truly appreciate it all. I'm glad this is going over well, because I get nervous about posting writing publicly. 
> 
> Also, at the moment, I've been posting chapters every couple of days, but we're getting into it now and I want to dedicate some more time to getting every chapter right, so updates may slow down from here on out.


	10. Age 8

Palpatine had been on Mustafar for all of a day, overseeing the progress on the Death Star- it had slowed since Erso had disappeared, and the Emperor was not pleased- when he summoned Leia. Her father had been anticipating this, and he had tried to prepare her, but she had hoped it wouldn’t happen so soon. She was pulled from her lessons with a tutor and escorted by a pair of storm troopers through the halls of her home to the room the Emperor had allocated for his own use. 

Leia was used to being the smallest person around, there had been no other children on Mustafar since Jyn, but she felt especially small just then. The Emperor was sitting on a throne raised above the rest of the room, looking every bit the master of the galaxy that he was. Her father was standing by the Emperor’s right hand, looking pinched and worried. Leia straightened her shoulders and raised her head, trying not to look afraid. She was the Princess of this fortress, and she wouldn’t let the Emperor scare her in her own home. 

“Princess Vader,” Palpatine said, rising from his throne. The storm troopers stepped back from her, but Leia stayed where she was. “I have heard much about you.” 

“Emperor Palpatine,” she said, willing her voice not to shake. The Emperor walked slowly down the steps of the dais, and Leia swallowed hard. Up close, he was hard to look at. He was older than her father by far, and it showed. 

“So this is what has kept Lord Vader so busy,” Palpatine said, stopping in front of her. “I must confess, you are not much to look at.” 

Leia didn’t speak. It was better not to speak, not to say anything that would upset the Emperor who held so much power over her father, and her. 

“But then, you are young,” he sighed, looking her over. “And yet, your training has far surpassed my expectations.” 

Leia ducked her head. “Thank you, Emperor.” 

The Emperor nodded. Then, he turned back to where Vader was still standing by the throne. “From now on, I will be overseeing the child’s education. She has the makings of a very powerful Sith Lord, and I won’t have any Jedi notions interrupting.” 

Vader nodded once. “Yes, sir.” 

The Emperor turned back to Leia, waving his hand dismissively. “You may return to your studies, Princess.” 

Leia nodded, turning and fleeing the throne room. Instead of returning to her classroom, though, she flung open the door to a random supply closet and climbed to the top shelf, wedging herself behind a box of cleaning supplies. It was a tighter fit these days, but Leia didn’t mind. The press of the walls and ceiling around her were comforting. She pressed her face into her knees, breathing hard. 

She had caught the eye of Emperor Palpatine. She hadn’t meant to, she just liked her training. She liked to fight, and she liked the time spent with her father. She hadn’t meant to be any good at it. Maybe if she was bad, if she couldn’t hold a lightsaber or feel her father coming up behind her, the Emperor would leave her alone. But it was too late now. Her father had turned her into a weapon, and she had just let him do it. 

She stayed there in the closet for hours, until her legs fell asleep and her stomach grumbled. Then, she climbed down and went to dinner with her father, putting herself back together as she walked towards the dining room. 

\--

Luke closed his eyes, reaching out with the Force. Uncle Ben would kill him if he knew what Luke was doing right now, but Luke didn’t care. He could feel every person in the house from his bedroom, and he could tell who was who. Beru- light, warm, comforting- was down in the kitchen. Uncle Owen- strong, solid- was in the garage, fixing up a new droid. His mother and Ben were both in the Sanctuary. Ben felt different than anyone else, like when Luke reached for him he was reaching right back. He probably was. He was even better at this than Luke was. His mother was strong, but sad. A sad that never, ever went away. Luke didn’t like that. 

He stood up from his bed and walked in the direction of the Sanctuary. He had to be careful about this, because if Ben felt him coming they would stop whatever they were talking about. Luke pressed his back against the wall next to the door, straining to hear. 

“We keep having this conversation, Padmé, and it always ends in the same place. For the past eight years, we have been running in circles.” 

“Well, I’m sorry but I just can’t accept-” but she stopped short. Luke frowned, pressing closer to the door to try and hear what was going on. 

“Hold on,” Uncle Ben said. His footsteps moved towards the door, and Luke dashed back down the hall and around a corner. Of course, Ben knew he had been there now, but not being at the scene of the crime could only help his case. Luke sulked downstairs and into the garage, where Uncle Owen was still trying to get the new droid working. 

“Can I help?” Luke asked. Owen turned towards him, wiping his greasy hands with an equally greasy towel. 

“Come and look at this, will you?” Owen said, nodding to the droid. “I can’t get the optical sensors to work.” 

Luke nodded, coming up beside his Uncle and peering down at the droid. It was a mess of loose wires, and Luke couldn’t figure out which ones went to the optical sensors. He touched the back of one of the sensors, following the wires until he found the problem. “This is bad,” he said, prodding at one of the connectors. “Do you think we need a new one?” 

Owen sighed, inspecting the scorched black connector. “Looks like it, kid,” he said. “How do you feel about going to Tosche Station with me?” 

The next day, Biggs came home with Luke after school. They were sitting up in his room, Luke on the bed and Biggs on the chair, theoretically doing homework. Luke goraned, tossing his datapad aside and falling backwards onto the bed. “I can’t concentrate,” he complained to the ceiling. Biggs frowned, setting his own datapad aside. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked. Luke shrugged against the sheets, reaching up to run his hands through his hair. 

“I think something is wrong with my mom,” he confessed quietly. Biggs joined him on the bed, laying down next to him. 

“Why do you think that?” he asked. 

“I don’t know, she and my Uncle Ben are acting really weird,” he said. “They’re not telling me something.” 

“Yeah, but aren’t they always kind of weird?” Biggs asked, turning his head to look at Luke. “Like, I know you’re from off-planet and everything, but your family isn’t exactly normal.” 

Luke sighed. “I guess not,” he said. “But this feels different.” 

_ \--12 years later-- _

The Rebels were working off of a moon in the Yavin system, and if Luke thought that Alderaan had been green, Yavin 4 must be something else entirely, because this was the most green he had ever seen in once place. It was all around them, growing up and over everything. The buildings were covered in vines, moss grew up the sides of the trees, leaves fell softly underfoot. Luke was determined to keep his head on the mission, though. The Rebels had been thwarted in their last plan by Princess Vader, the legendary Sith Apprentice, and Luke was by all accounts the only person capable of opposing her. They were the same age, and likely had much of the same training. Theoretically, they were equals in the Force. 

The problem was, apparently, that they didn’t know how to get to her. Unless they wanted to invade Fortress Vader on the lava planet of Mustafar, that is, and Ben seemed strongly opposed to that option. Luke just hoped that the Rebels had a plan for him. 

He was sitting in what Bail Organa had called the Briefing Room, waiting for the briefing to start, when the door slid open. Luke turned to see who had joined him, and he almost didn’t recognize that face. 

Biggs Darklighter had grown a mustache since leaving Tatooine. Luke couldn’t tell if it suited him or not. 

Luke stood from his seat and watched Biggs cross the room towards him. One of them needed to be the first to speak, but Luke didn’t know what to say. How do you greet your childhood friend-turned-boyfriend who dumped you five seconds before leaving the planet? 

“Hey, Biggs,” he said awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. “I- I wasn’t expecting-” 

Biggs shrugged. “Left the Imperial Academy pretty quick,” he said. “This, uh, seemed like the better choice.” 

Luke nodded. “Well, it’s good to see you again,” he said lamely. 

“How have you been, Luke?” Biggs asked earnestly, leaning closer. Luke shrugged. 

“Same as always, Biggs,” he said. “Just, moisture farming. Jedi stuff. You know how it is.” 

Biggs was just opening his mouth to reply when the door slid open. “Oh, Biggs!” Ben said, raising an eyebrow. Thank the stars or Uncle Ben. 

“Hi, Mr. Kenobi,” Biggs said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I should go.” 

“You should,” Ben agreed, shooting Biggs a sharp look. Biggs nodded, hurrying past him out the door. “Didn’t know he was here,” Ben muttered as the door slid closed. “I have some bad news, Luke.” 

Luke frowned. “What’s going on?” he asked. Ben sighed, shifting on his feet. 

“Well,” he started, “we just got the news. The Empire knows we were on Alderaan. The Hutts turned in Solo this morning, so that means the Empire likely knows where we started, too.” 

Luke’s blood ran cold. “Mom?” he asked. Ben’s frown deepened. 

“I’m trying to get into contact with the family, so far there is no news,” he said. 

“Well, I have to go back!” Luke said. “I- I have to warn them! Or protect them, something!” 

“No, Luke,” Ben said, placing a hand on his arm. “It’s safer for them, and for you, if we all stay where we are. I will keep trying to get into contact with your mother, and with Owen and Beru, but for now we need you here, understand?” 

Luke shook his head frantically. “I- I can’t just-” 

“The Empire won’t hurt them, Luke,” Ben said. “Your mother is very capable, she can take care of herself.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of my regularly scheduled social activities have been cancelled for an indefinite amount of time, so turns out I had PLENTY of time to write this chapter over the weekend. Yay for social distancing? 
> 
> Luke Skywalker is 100% gay you can't change my mind.


	11. INTERLUDE I: STRONGEST HEARTS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, this week has been hella stressful and I don't have a new chapter yet, but what I do have is THIS. I've gotten a few comments about things that I realized do not fit into the natural flow of the story but that I wanted to explore anyway, so I'm adding in some extras. Happy quarantine.

_\--Age 6.5. Fortress Vader, Mustafar--_

Leia chased Jyn through the halls of Fortress Vader, the older girl always just out of reach. Jyn disappeared around a corner, but when Leia took the same corner, Jyn was gone. Leia frowned, peering around her. Jyn had been quick to identify all of Leia’s little hidey-holes throughout the Fortress, a fact which annoyed Leia greatly. Before she could figure out where Jyn had gone, the sound of boots in the other hallway got louder. A small hand darted out from a hidden alcove- Leia should have known that one- and tugged her in. Leia smothered her giggles against her hands as Jyn shoved her deeper in the little alcove. She held a finger up to her lips, peering out at the hallway, and Leia nodded. 

The two of them were supposed to be in Leia’s classroom now, with the nanny droid, but that had quickly grown boring. Their fathers wouldn’t come check on them for a good hour more, at least, but they would be in extra trouble if they were discovered on the opposite side of the Fortress. Jyn peeked out again after the footsteps faded and nodded. Leia followed her back out into the hall, clutching her arm. 

“You’re going to get me in trouble,” Leia complained. 

“You do that enough yourself, Princess,” Jyn shot back. When Jyn said  _ Princess _ , it seemed to mean something different than when the adults did. Like it was a slight against Leia. Leia just stuck her tongue out at her. Jyn turned to wander off down the hallway, and as she walked away Leia noticed her hand sneak up to touch a delicate chain around her neck. Leia ran to catch up to her. 

“What’s that you always wear?” she asked curiously. She had noticed the chain before, but Jyn was usually careful to keep it hidden. Jyn frowned, glancing around them.

“Not here,” she said. 

They ended up back in Leia’s room, where there were no cameras or watchful eyes. There, Jyn pulled the necklace out from under her shirt. At the end of the chain hung a cloudy white stone. “It’s a Kyber crystal,” she whispered. “It’s what’s in lightsabers. Dad says that only the strongest stars have hearts of Kyber.” 

“Woah,” Leia whispered, reaching out to touch it. She could feel it hum faintly against her fingers. “Will you have a lightsaber?” she asked. Jyn shook her head. 

“Only the Jedi have lightsabers,” she said, tucking the crystal away. “My dad studies the crystals, that’s why he got me one.” 

“My dad has a lightsaber, he’s not a Jedi,” Leia argued. 

“By he used to be,” Jyn said. “That’s what my mom says, at least. Says he was a good one, too. Helped defend the Republic, before he turned to the Empire.” 

Leia frowned, turning this over in her head. “I didn’t know that,” she complained. Of course, she knew her father kept secrets from her, but she had always been so fascinated by the idea of the Jedi, and now to find out that her father actually  was  one? It was a betrayal, plain and simple. 


	12. Age 9

“Okay, you know the plan,” Luke whispered, peeking around the edge of the kitchen door. Aunt Beru was sitting at the table, sipping at a glass of blue milk while she read over something on her datapad- Luke thought it was probably the house budget. 

“Won’t Ben see me coming?” Biggs asked. 

“He won’t be looking for you,” Luke answered. And with that, he stepped through the door and claimed the seat across from Beru. “Hi, Auntie,” he said brightly. Beru glanced up, smiling. 

“Luke,” she said, “where did your friend go?” 

“Had to leave,” Luke said. He glanced over his shoulder to where Biggs was no longer standing. Good. Luke knew that Ben would be looking out for him, so he couldn’t gather any information himself. Biggs, though, was a good enough back-up. “What are you doing?” 

Beru sighed, turning the datapad to face him. “These are our expenses,” she said, pointing to one long column of numbers, “and these are the profits from the farm. I have to make them match.” 

Luke frowned, scanning over the numbers. “That’s a lot of expenses,” he said. 

“Well, there are five people living here, Luke,” she said, “it all adds up. That does mean that there are more hands for the fam, though, so we don’t have to hire any extra help. That would be an extra expense.” 

Luke nodded, but he was only partially listening. Part of his mind was reaching out for the familiar shape of Biggs. He was hurrying away from the farm now, his job done. He had been tasked with sticking a recorder outside of Ben’s door, where he and Padmé were talking urgently. They had gotten a message that morning that had made them go all quiet and nervous, and Luke wanted to know why. He wanted to know what they weren’t telling him. He wasn’t a little kid anymore, he could handle whatever it was. 

“-have a little extra money this month to upgrade some of the vaperators,” Beru was saying, “which is expensive, but it’ll pay off in the end.” 

Luke perked up at that. New equipment was exciting for him. He liked to know how things worked, how it all went together to make something that could pull water from the dry desert air. “New vaperators?” 

Beru smiled at him. “Yes,” she said, “I’ll make sure Owen takes you with him when he goes to pick them out.” 

Luke pressed play on the recorder, and Padmé and Ben’s voice came through muffled. It was only audio, recorded from behind the door, but it was better than nothing. 

“They wouldn’t have gotten in contact if it wasn’t important,” Ben was saying. 

“I know it’s important, it’s all important,” Padmé said. “I don’t want to get involved.” 

“No one’s asking you to get involved,” Ben said, “or any of us.” 

“They want you to get involved,” Padmé said, “that would be just great for them, the Sith Lord’s old master returned from the dead.” 

“I made my choice, nine years ago,” Ben said. “The rebellion will go on without me, I’m sure. My place is here, with you and Luke.” 

_ The Rebellion.  _ So that was what they were keeping from him. They were involved in the rebellion? 

Luke wasn’t an idiot. He knew about the Empire, about the rebels, about the Sith. Tatooine was remote, but it wasn’t entirely removed from the larger galaxy, and kids were natural gossips. But the fact that his family may be involved, that Ben had known the SIth Lord, that was news to Luke. 

_ Fact finding a success, tell you about it at school _ , he told Biggs, then he hid the recorder under his mattress and went to bed. 

\--

It had been a few years since Leia had seen Jyn Erso. Her father seemed intent on not speaking about the Ersos, so Leia was following along with it. From what she knew, Mr. Erso had run away to some far-distant planet and left all of his work behind. Leia tried not to be too disappointed. She was used to being alone. Just her, the nanny droid, her father, and an army keeping a watchful eye on her. It was fine, all fine. 

It was just, she was getting restless. 

The Emperor hadn’t shown his face on Mustafar since declaring he was taking over her training, so it had been business as usual. Her training with her father was fine, just fine, but she got the sense he was being careful about it, and she was getting restless. She wanted more. More from her training, more from her father, more from the galaxy. She wanted not to be a nine year old girl trapped in an endless fortress, kept carefully at arm’s length from the soldiers and officers that surrounded her. She wanted someone other than her father to look into her eyes and talk to her. 

It was a feeling that had been building and building since Jyn had left, a sense of frustration that grew and grew until she exploded. She had yelled at a stormtrooper just yesterday, and last week had knocked over a whole rack of weapons in the training room with her mind and sent them scattering across the floor. 

She was pacing the floor of her little bedroom while the nanny havered at the edge of her vision. Nanny was a nervous droid, a modified protocol droid built by her father specifically to keep an eye on her. 

Then, her datapad across the room beeped cheerfully. She scooped it up, opening the message that had just come in. 

_ Hope it’s okay to message- had to hack into my dad’s secure server to even find your number. -Jyn _

Leia stared at the words for a long moment. Jyn had hacked her father’s system just to send a message to Leia? The hot ball of anger in her chest deflated some. She grinned, hastily hitting the  _ reply  _ button. 

_ No, it’s good to hear from you. Going crazy here. -Leia _

Leia was aware that it had to be a secret. Her dad couldn’t know that Jyn had messaged her, the Ersos were in hiding after all. But it was good to message her, to send her frustration out into the world and actually get an answer. They were just short messages, and neither of them could say anything of much importance, but it was good. Leia had a friend again, even if they couldn't run through the halls of the fortress and play pranks on Krennic. Jyn was alone, too, her father having carefully chosen his hideout on an empty planet. She knew how Leia felt, how she went mad walking the same corridors day after day. Jyn had an endless field of plants surrounding her house, and Leia had fields of lava. 

Her improved mood didn’t escape her father’s notice. She was feeling more cheerful since hearing from Jyn, less inclined to hit things.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked over dinner. She glanced up from her plate, where she had been carefully separating her foods. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You seem happy,” Vader said, eyes narrowing. “Suspiciously so.” 

“You want me to be miserable, father?” she asked, taking a bite of her food. Vader sighed. 

“No,” he said. “I just wonder about the sudden change in mood.”

“I had a change in perspective,” Leia said, going back to her dinner. “Nanny talked some sense into me.” 

  
  


_ \--11 years later-- _

Leia paced the cell, cape flicking behind her. The smuggler was quite possibly the least knowledgeable person she had ever met. There was quite possibly nothing going on in his head. It had occurred to her to torture the informatin out of him, but she had quickly realized that there was no information to torture out. Leia thought she would probably get more from the Wookie, despite not knowing a word- or a growl, rather, of Shriiwook. She could find a translator, maybe, but she didn’t know of any off the top of her head. It was a hard language, and not very useful. Also, she didn’t want to get her arms torn out of her sockets. 

“What did they look like, your mysterious passengers?” she asked. Han shrugged. It was a gesture that went beyond his shoulders somehow, embodied the whole sprawling length of him.

“Didn’t take notice,” he said. “The old guy paid me to move them from Mos Eisley to Alderaan, that’s all I know, your worshipfulness.” 

Leia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Do you pay attention to anything around you?” she asked. 

“I make my living keeping my eyes to myself,” Han said. “I get the job done, and that’s it. Pay too close attention, I’m dead.” 

“Right,” she said. “But you took them to Alderaan, do you know who they were meeting?” 

Han slumped further in his chair, kicking his legs out. His arms were tied to the chair behind him, but he seemed to be doing just fine without them. “They didn’t say.” 

“You are the most useless prisoner of war ever,” she informed him. Han smirked at her, and she had the sudden urge to punch him. 

“Don’t flatter me, Princess.” 

The Wookie was tied up more thoroughly than Han had been, because it had been deemed an actual threat. Still, Leia kept her distance. Someone had found her a protocol droid that knew Shriiwook, so they were getting somewhere. 

“What did the two men look like?” she asked. The Wookie growled something, and Leia glanced at the droid. 

“All humans look the same to me, all pink and squishy,” the droid translated. Leia sighed. 

“Did one of them look like this?” she asked, flipping her datapad around to show a picture of a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Wookie growled something short. 

“No,” the droid said. And then, “maybe.” 

Leia cursed quietly. “Do you know anything about the two men?” she asked. 

“I know they were human men,” the droid said. “I hope they are having a nice vacation, Alderaan is a nice planet.” 

“He didn’t really say that,” Leia said, turning on the droid. 

“I’m afraid so, Princess,” the droid said. Leia turned and stormed out of the cell. The droid followed after her. It started to ask a question, then stopped. The Wookie was still growling. 

“It said, if you hurt my squishy pink child I will rip your arms off,” the droid said. 

“Noted,” Leia sighed. “Hopefully they had more luck on Tatooine.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news: I wrote 5k words of this fic in one day, so I actually have chapters written in advance for once! Still probably won't have a normal update schedule, though. Sorry.


	13. Age 10

Leia was feeling downright cheerful as the ship landed on Coruscant. It had been years since she had let Mustafar, and now they were going to be spending a whole week on a planet that was one big city full of people. Not clones, or stormtroopers in sleek white armor, or officers in their neat uniforms with slicked-back hair and solemn faces. Real, actual people. Families with children, people going to and from so many different and interesting places. She could hardly breathe with the hugeness of it all. She had been growing more and more excited through the journey from Mustafar, and now she was practically skipping. 

“Did you really used to live here?” she asked her father eagerly. 

“Leia, if you cannot sit still I will leave you on the ship,” he threatened. Leia thought that he was probably just as excited as she was, because he had kicked the pilot out of the cockpit hours ago. Leia herself was acting as copilot, which just meant she got to sit next to him and watch him operate the controls. It was nice, just the two of them and the endless bounds of space. 

“It was just one question,” she said, reaching out to run her hands over the control board. Her father, she was told, was one of the best pilots in the galaxy, and she was eager to follow in his footsteps. She touched the different buttons gently, naming them in her mind. Reciting their purposes. Her father had taught them all to her, but he didn’t quite trust her to get behind the controls herself. She had a little flight simulator in her training room, but it wasn’t the same as the real thing. 

“I did live there,” her father said. “But I wasn’t actually on Coruscant much, my work took me all over the galaxy.” 

“Your work as a Jedi?” she asked tentatively. Her father didn’t talk about the Old Republic much, but there were stories about her father. About her mother, too. She had been a senator. Her heart ached to know more about the mysterious woman her father had loved so much. 

“That’s right,” he said carefully. “But I would come back to Coruscant as much as possible, because that’s where the Senate used to meet.” 

Leia loved when her father told the story of his romance with her mother. Their marriage was a secret, forbidden by the Jedi order. The Jedi had been wrong about a lot of things, that’s why her father had to betray them and start the Empire. “And you would meet up with mom,” she said. Her father smiled, a little sad. 

“Yes,” he said. “Those were difficult times for the Galaxy, back when everyone was fighting, but I knew everything would be okay as long as I could come back to her.” 

Leia smiled. “Tell me about her?” she asked. 

“Later,” Vader said. “We’re about to land.” 

Her father had lots of important business to take care of in the city, but Leia was allowed to go out with Nanny and one of her father’s guards to certain parts of the city. There was a little park tucked away between buildings, with green grass and a little tree and kids climbing all over little brightly colored metal structures. Leia scaled the little tree, getting the best vantage point in the park. She watched the other kids play for a long time. Most of them were smaller than her, because kids her age went to school during the day. After a while, Nanny walked over to the tree and peered up at her through the leaves. 

“Your father wants to meet us for lunch,” Nanny said. Leia climbed down to a lower branch and jumped, landing in a crouch on the squishy ground. It was some sort of specially constructed low-impact surface to reduce the chances of injury. It messed with Leia’s usual coordination and she wobbled, rolling forward. Nanny darted forward, ready to catch her, but Leia just stood and brushed her knees off. 

“Lunch time?” she asked. Nanny nodded. 

\--

Luke sat in the cafeteria of the little school, picking at the lunch Beru had packed him. He wasn’t feeling very hungry today. That morning, he had caught Molo and Sanni whispering behind Biggs’s back, and he was concerned about it. Sure, Biggs could take care of himself, but the girls had a way of hitting him where it hurt. 

Biggs, to his credit, didn’t seem so concerned. He was happily eating his own lunch, chattering away. Luke glanced over his shoulder to where Molo and Sanni were ducked close together, whispering. 

“What do you think they're saying?” he asked. Biggs frowned, glancing over his shoulder. He shrugged, taking another bite.

“I don’t care,” he said. “Ignore them.” 

Luke frowned, going back to his lunch. “I just think they shouldn’t talk about people behind their backs,” he mumbled. Biggs shrugged. 

“Doesn’t bother me,” he said. 

_ But it should _ , Luke resisted saying.  _ Why don’t you care what people say about you? _ Probably it was because Biggs was a better person than him. Biggs didn’t care about anything. 

Luke had to walk past their table to go to the restroom, and he overheard a bit of their conversation. “-one of the old slave families, you can tell,” Molo was saying lowly. Luke stopped, his hand on the door. 

“They don’t quite know how to act, do they,” Sanni said. Luke turned slowly. 

“Say that again,” he said. Molo looked up, eyes narrowed. 

“Come on, Amidala,” she said, “you know it’s true. There are two kinds of families on Tatooine, the slave families and the off-world families. You’re like us, you know. Darklighter, on the other hand,” she shrugged. Luke frowned, closing his hands into tight fists. 

“For your information,” he said, “my mom is an off-worlder. My dad was a slave.” 

“But he’s dead, isn’t he,” Sanni said. 

“You were raised by off-worlders,” Molo said. “But the Darklighters, well. They’ve got the slave mentality down.” 

Luke couldn’t help it. It was so easy. His hands were already in fists, it didn’t take much to swing one up and into the side of Molo’s face. She shrieked, falling backwards off her chair. Luke thought it was an overreaction, he hadn’t actually hit her that hard. 

“We do not tolerate violence here, Miss Amidala,” his teacher was saying. Luke slumped lower in his seat, crossing his arms. 

“She insulted Biggs,” he muttered. “She deserved it.” 

“Nevertheless,” the teacher sighed, “Miss Bright has a bruise, and her parents are not pleased.” 

“I’m very sorry for the trouble, Ma’am,” Padmé said, clamping a hand on Luke’s shoulders. “I’ll be sure to have a very firm talk with him.” 

“Don’t let it happen again,” the teacher said. Padmé nodded and led Luke out of the room. 

“She was being rude,” Luke said. “Talking about slaves, and my dad-”

“I know, Luke,” his mother said patiently, leading him towards the speeder. “We’ll talk about it at home.” 

“Just tell me how much trouble I’m in,” he said, sliding into his seat. His mother sighed, turning to face him. 

“You’re not in trouble,” she said. “Violence aside, I’m proud I raised a child who knows to stand up for his friends. But you shouldn’t hit people, Luke.” 

“I know,” he said glumly. “I didn’t mean to.” 

Padmé nodded. “You need to learn to control your anger,” she said gently. “It’s okay to get angry, it’s okay to feel however you’re feeling, but you need to deal with it in a constructive way. Hitting people is not the answer.” 

Luke nodded. “Sorry,” he said. “I’ll apologize to Molo, too. Promise.” 

“Good,” Padmé said, starting up the speeder. “I want you to meditate with Ben when you get home.” 

_ \--10 years later-- _

“If I can’t go to Tatooine to look after my mother, I’m not going to let the person who helped me get tortured by the Empire!” Luke said. They still hadn’t gotten in contact with Padmé, and all they knew was that the Empire had Solo. Luke felt as though he had failed, and the mission had hardly started. The Empire knew where his mother was, and they had apprehended the only person who had helped him. 

“Luke, let’s not rush into anything,” Ben said. 

“What’s the plan here, Ben?” Luke asked, rounding on his Uncle. “Am I just supposed to sit here until the Sith shows up at our front door? Or my mother is dead?” 

“They won’t kill your mother, Luke,” Ben said. 

“How do you know that?” Luke demanded. “You don’t! You don’t know anything!” 

“Look, I understand you’re frustrated-” Ben started. 

“Yeah, I am!” Luke said. “I’m frustrated, okay? You spent my whole life keeping secrets from me and now you’re still keeping secrets and you expect me to do what you say? I don’t even know what we’re doing here! I don’t know anything!” 

“There are some things you can’t know,” Ben said patiently. 

“Why not?” 

Ben sighed, rubbing at his head. “Your mother thought it was best-” 

“You spent my life training me to take out this threat I know nothing about and you won’t even tell me why!” 

“I need you to calm down,” Ben said, taking a step forward and planting his hands on Luke’s shoulders. “And listen to me. There is nothing you can do about any of this. I know it’s frustrating, but there are secrets that are not mine to tell. Someday, you will know the whole story, but until then you need to keep your head.” 

Luke took a deep breath, employing a lifetime of Jedi training to try and calm down. Anger wouldn’t solve anything. “I want to rescue Solo,” he said evenly. “It was my fault the Empire found him. That’s what I can control.” 

Ben nodded. “I understand that,” he said. “I’ll talk to Mon Mothma, see what we can figure out.” 

Luke nodded. “Thank you,” he said. 

The next day, Luke left the rebel base alone in a brand-new x-wing fighter. It was a wonder of engineering, so much more satisfying to fly than the kinds of ships he was used to on Tatooine. The controls hummed under his hands, and he settled back into the seat. “Red 5, requesting take-off,” he said into the helmet’s mic. Once they gave him the all-clear, he was off into the sky. He felt himself relaxing into it as he sped off into open space. 

They didn’t know exactly where Han Solo was being kept, but they had a few ideas, and one of them seemed more promising than the others. If all went well, Luke was about to come face to face with the Sith Princess herself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're half way there, y'all! Who's excited for these children to fight each other? 
> 
> I've had this chapter written for a week, don't ask me why I haven't posted it until now.


	14. Age 11

“Okay, Luke,” Obi-Wan said, settling into the seat of the old ship. “Remember what I showed you?” 

Luke nodded, looking down at the controls. Ben had taught him what they all did, practicing with the engines off until Luke knew the control board like the back of his hand. Now, it was time to put the thing in the air. He started on the take-off procedure, flipping switches and pushing buttons until the engines hummed. 

“Good,” Ben said. 

“What now?” Luke asked uncertainly. He had never actually made it off the ground before. 

Ben showed him, and Luke took off carefully. The ship lifted off from the ground, and Luke grinned. He had been in a ship before, of course, knew what it felt like to leave the ground, but he had never done it himself. It was a whole different feeling. “Steady, now,” Ben said. Luke knew that Ben could take control if he needed it, probably had more control than Luke himself, but for the moment he was sitting back and watching Luke carefully. 

“Where to?” Luke asked. 

“Anywhere,” Ben said. “Take us to Anchorhead and back.” 

Luke nodded, pointing the ship in the direction of the town. 

Padmé was fuming by the time the two of them got back, flight-drunk and grinning. “You said you were just going to get up in the air,” she hissed at Ben. “He’s too young-” 

“He’s not that young,” Ben said. “Anakin did more when he was younger.” 

“That’s not the point,” Padmé sighed. Luke fidgeted behind Ben, suddenly back on the ground. 

“Luke, go inside,” Ben said. “Help your Aunt with dinner, go on.” 

Luke frowned, shuffling inside. Behind him, an argument was beginning to break out. An argument over him. He had been so happy in the ship, but now he was back on the farm and everything was the same as ever. “Aunt Beru, let me help,” he said, stepping up to the counter. “Mom and Ben want me out of the way.” 

Beru sighed, handing him a knife. “Careful, Luke,” she warned. “Those two, I swear. What happened this time?” 

“Ben let me fly to Anchorhead,” Luke said, chopping vegetables carefully. “Mom isn’t happy, but they don’t want me to hear them argue.” 

Beru rolled her eyes. “They need to get on the same page,” she said. “It’s not doing you any good to have them pulling you every which way.” 

“I just wish they would ask me what I wanted,” Luke said glumly. Beru sighed, turning away from the food to face him. 

“What do you want, Luke?” she asked. Luke swallowed heavily. 

“I don’t know,” he admitted. Beru nodded, going back to her dinner. 

“Maybe you should figure that out.” 

Luke nodded. 

That night, Luke sat in his bed, wide awake. His nightmares had been getting worse lately, and he didn’t want to go to sleep. Not that he had told his mother that, he didn’t want her to worry more than she already did. He pulled out his datapad and sent a message to Biggs. 

_ Mom and Ben arguing again. Give me good news? _

_ BIGGS: I heard that Sanni’s family is moving to Mos Eisley. _

_LUKE: Really? Why?_ _  
__BIGGS: Some people can’t handle farm life. Mr. Bright bought a pawn shop or something??_

_ \-- _

Leia had just about figured that the Emperor had forgotten about her when he returned to Mustafar. He hadn’t so much as asked about her in three years, but now he was back. Leia hadn’t even known he was coming until she walked into her training room like usual, only to see a figure in a dark robe standing in the middle of the room. She froze, gripping the handle of her bag. 

“Princess,” the Emperor greeted.

“Emperor Palpatine,” she said uneasily, “where’s my dad?” 

“Busy,” the Emperor said. “I thought I would check in on your progress while I’m here.” 

Leia swallowed, setting her bag down. Would the Emperor want to spar with her like her father did? What exactly was he doing here? She started on her sual warm-ups, stretching her muscles. The Emperor watched with detached interest from a corner of the room as she went through her stances with her training lightsaber, facing off against a dummy. Once she was warmed up, she went to grab her helmet and fire the training droid up. 

“What level do you have that at?” The Emperor asked. She startled, having almost forgotten he was there. 

“Father has me at level four,” she said, showing him the dial on the machine. The Emperor nodded slowly. 

“Turn it up to six,” he said. Leia frowned, but complied, dialling up the droid. 

“I’ve never set it this high,” she said. 

“I’m sure you will manage,” The Emperor replied. Leia nodded, turning the droid on and pulling her mask over her eyes. She fired up her lightsaber and took a deep breath, listening for the droid to fire off the first shot. They came faster at the higher level, and more unpredictable. Leia dodged and blocked desperately, but even so a few of the shots caught her in the arm. She winced at an unexpected shot and stumbled, overcorrecting her balance. Her feet went out from under her and she fell into a controlled roll. She gestured for the droid to stop firing and lifted her mask, breathing hard. 

“I’ve never done that level,” she complained, rubbing at the spot on the arm where one of the lasers had hit. They were mostly harmless, but it still stung. “It’s too hard.” 

“You just need more focus,” the Emperor said. “It was a passable effort, even still. I want you to practice at that level, next time I am on Mustafar I expect you to have mastered it.” 

“Yes, Emperor,” Leia said. She pulled herself to her feet, clipping her lightsaber to her belt. “I’m going to run the obstacle course now,” she said. The Emperor returned to his corner, crossing his arms. His face was shielded by the hood, but she thought she could see him grinning. It was not a pleasant smile. 

Leia was able to put the Emperor out of her mind as she ran the obstacle course. It was a relatively new one, having been changed just a week or so ago, and she liked the challenge of it. She was small, she knew it, but she was fast and strong. She threw herself into the course, running and jumping and dodging obstacles. It required all of her physical power, and her mental power, to complete. She wasn’t sure who designed the courses, but they might just be her favorite person. 

When she was done, she grabbed her water bottle and glanced at her time. It wasn’t her fastest run, but it had been cleaner than last time. She sagged against the wall to catch her breath and flicked through the holo replays of her run. Her foot slipped there, there her lightsaber was too slow. She needed to take that ladder faster, let go of that rope sooner. 

“Why are there no training droids on the course?” The Emperor asked. Leia shrugged. 

“I didn’t design it,” she said. 

“It would be a better training exercise if you were under attack,” he said. 

“That isn’t the point of it,” Leia told him. “The point is to see how fast I can do it. It’s not an active battle scenario.” 

The Emperor sighed as if he could not fathom the uselessness of such an exercise. “Run it again,” he said, waving his hand. Leia frowned, taking another swig of her water. 

“Again?” she asked. The Emperor nodded, so she pushed off the wall and turned off the replay holo. She went around to the starting point again and gestured for the countdown to start. 

_ \--9 years later-- _

“What do you mean it’s empty?” Leia demanded. The hologram of the officer sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. 

“We went to the estate we thought they were staying at, but it has been cleared out,” he said. Leia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. The Tatooine team was absolutely useless. 

“Are you sure you have the right place?” she asked. 

“Positive,” he assured her. “The house was not completely empty, it seems. Obi-Wan was here.” 

“How do you know?” she demanded. The officer held up a small wooden carving of a man in Jedi robes. He turned it over, and Leia saw the inscription on the bottom.  _ Kenobi _ . She nodded. 

“Keep an eye on the house, let me know if there’s any activity,” she said. The officer nodded, and Leia hung up and called her father. 

“How is your mission, Princess?” Vader asked.

“Well, our captives are completely useless,” she said. “Looks like this was a dead end.” 

“So what do we do next?” Vader prompted. Leia considered this. She tried to put herself in the shoes of the Jedi, imagining what his next moves would be. 

“He might go back if he thinks his family is in danger,” she said slowly. “The team is going to stay on Tatooine, see if they resurface.” 

“I doubt they will return to the farm, but we can spare the troops,” Vader said. “What else?” 

“Well- I get the impression that the Jedi and Solo don’t know each other too well, but he might want to come to his aid anyway,” Leia said slowly. “So we can just- wait for him to show up?” 

“Not much of a plan,” Vader said. Leia nodded. 

“Maybe we go back to the old plan,” she said. “Try and find the rebel base?” 

Vader shook his head. “I fear we have passed that point, Leia,” he said. “I am going to go to Tatooine myself to assess the situation, I recommend you come too.” 

Leia nodded. “What about the smuggler?” she asked. Vader considered this for a moment. 

“Put them on their ship and launch it somewhere in space. Make them chase a false lead,” Vader said. Leia nodded. 

“See you in a bit, then,” she said. The hologram faded, and she tucked the projector into her pocket. She was going to Tatooine. 

She let the smuggler loose right before she left to meet her father in the outer rim, taking him as far from Tatooine as possible before allowing him and the Wookie to escape. They thought they were being so clever with their little escape plan, but it never would have worked if she wasn’t letting it happen. Poor boy thought he was so smart. She watched his shitty ship fly away from the Star Destroyer, then she turned and made her way to the command center. “Reroute to Tatooine,” she said as she walked into the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay folks, here's the deal- Camp NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow, and I will be working on not this for a month. I still have a few chapters I can upload, but they'll be coming a bit slower. Thanks for sticking with me this far! 
> 
> Also I truly hate writing training sequences, so sorry if this one's a bit weird.


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